ACMS raises alarm over silent migration crisis in Assam’s tea gardens

Dibrugarh, July 16: In the quiet stretches of Assam's tea gardens, a silent exodus is under way. Every year, thousands of young workers from these plantations leave behind their families and communities in search of a better livelihood travelling to distant cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, and even foreign shores. But what begins as a journey of hope often turns into one of hardship, exploitation, and heartbreak. Lured by false promises from unregulated brokers, many never find the security they seek - and some never return home at all.

In a stark warning to the government, the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), the largest and most influential trade union of the plantation sector, has raised alarm over the growing migration crisis unfolding silently across the State's tea estates.

Raju Sahu, former MLA of Chabua and a veteran trade union leader associated with the ACMS, spoke with deep concern: "These youths are not just leaving Assam for jobs - a chunk of them are walking into a trap. Unscrupulous brokers are selling them false hopes. Majority are unprotected, untrained, and unknown to the very system meant to safeguard them."

Sahu recounted painful cases where young tea garden workers, desperate to break free from poverty, were trafficked abroad. "Some of them never came back. There are families in these plantations who don't even have the means to bring back their loved ones' bodies.

"Imagine the pain of a mother who learns her son died in a strange land and she can't even perform his last rites. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable. "There are stories that will break you," Sahu said.

Despite national schemes like the National Skill Development Mission (NSDC) and state-level initiatives such as Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM), these young people often fall through the cracks. The majority are unaware of existing government welfare programs largely because no one ever reached out to tell them.

"The first thing we must do is register every plantation and migrant worker with the Labour Welfare Department," Sahu urged. "Without this, they are invisible. And the invisible are always the first to suffer."

He emphasized that registration opens the door to crucial benefits from hospitalization aid and pensions to educational support for children, disability scholarships, maternity assistance, and marriage allowances. "These benefits could change plan-lives, but right now, no one is telling them they even exist.'

He also called for formal agreements between Assam and other states similar to the MoUs already signed by states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh to provide legal safeguards for interstate migrant workers. Why should our youth risk their lives when there are schemes right here that could empower them to build their futures?" Sahu asked. "Let us give them dignity in their own land," he said.

The trade union leader appealed not just to the government, but to every political party, NGO, and civil society groups to come together in a united effort. "This is not about politics. This is about saving our youth. We need grassroots campaigns, awareness drives, and coordinated action before more lives are lost."